Don’t expect embattled Mahoning County Clerk of Court Michael P. Ciccone to voluntarily resign from his elected position despite the county Republican and Democratic parties united in an effort to have him removed from office.

Ciccone, a Republican, has too much to lose to quit his job despite the mounting pressure.

Ciccone’s finances don’t appear to be in good shape despite making $101,823 in annual salary as clerk of courts.

I reported Nov. 8 that Ciccone owed $3,230.57 in delinquent taxes on three properties he owns, with most of it — $1,983.92 — for his personal residence at 18 S. Edgehill Ave. in Austintown, which he co-owns with Patrick W. Ciccone.

Also, a vacant parcel on Edgehill Avenue owned by the two Ciccones was $150.89 delinquent but was paid Oct. 28, nearly three months late.

Since that article, a $400 partial payment was made on Ciccone’s house. Still delinquent is $1,583.92 on the property.

He hasn’t made a single payment on parcels he owns by himself: 6402 E. Garfield Road in Springfield and 1195 S. Turner Road, while the amounts owed on the two have only increased in the last few weeks.

Overall, Ciccone owes $2,855.51 in delinquent taxes, down from $3,230.57 in early November.

It isn’t much. But it either gives an idea about Ciccone’s current financial situation or perhaps his attitude toward paying his bills.

Either way, it’s a bad look for someone elected to run the clerk of courts’ office.

The two political parties will start gathering petitions next month seeking to remove Ciccone from office through legal action.

The parties accuse Ciccone of repeatedly abusing the authority of his office, using “discriminatory and degrading language, and failing to “perform core statutory duties.”

Ciccone hasn’t made any public comments since Oct. 19, when he said he wouldn’t resign and remained “committed to leading the clerk’s office with professionalism, transparency and integrity.”

But a sign on Ciccone’s office door since Nov. 17 in all capital letters doesn’t exactly scream professionalism, transparency and integrity.

It reads: “NO ONE IS TO KNOCK ON THIS DOOR WITHOUT FIRST CONSULTING THE CHIEF DEPUTY KATHERINE RUDZIK.”

Ciccone is playing the waiting game because it’s going to take months to collect the needed signatures to start the process to remove him from office.

Meanwhile, he continues to get paid.

The effort to have Ciccone removed from office through the court system falls under Ohio Revised Code Sections 3.07-3.10.

The first section states any person holding office “who willfully and flagrantly exercises authority or power not authorized by law, refuses or willfully neglects to enforce the law or to perform any official duty imposed upon him by law, or is guilty of gross neglect of duty, gross immorality, drunkenness, misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance is guilty of misconduct in office.” A person in those situations can be removed from public office.

ORC Section 3.08 requires the valid signatures of at least 15% of those voting in the last gubernatorial election — 86,859 voted in Mahoning County in 2022, so 13,029 are needed – on petitions to qualify for removal. Under state law, the petitions initially would have to be submitted to the clerk of courts — who is Ciccone — be forwarded to the board of elections to determine if enough valid signatures were collected, and then go to trial.

A judge would handle the removal proceedings unless a jury trial is demanded by the official facing the charges, according to state law. After the complaint is filed, a hearing must take place within 30 days, and the court may suspend the official pending the hearing, according to state law.

ORC Section 3.09 allows for an appeal to the appellate court if the officeholder is removed through a common pleas court decision, while ORC Section 3.10 allows the common pleas and the appeals courts to subpoena witnesses.

Tom McCabe, chairman of the Mahoning County Republican Party’s executive committee, said he’s seen petition drives take four to six months and others take eight to nine months.

Mahoning Democratic Chairman Chris Anderson said both political parties have the infrastructure in place and the experience to collect the signatures. He said the time line depends on how long it will take to collect the signatures.

Anderson and McCabe said they were confident the signatures could be collected.

But this gives Ciccone several months — perhaps a year or more — before he would be forcibly removed from office. That includes the signature drive and the legal process, including an appeal.

Issues with Ciccone came to the forefront after he fired Jennifer J. Ciccone on Oct. 17 as his chief deputy and chief of staff after a falling out between the two.

After her firing, Jennifer J. Ciccone posted on Facebook several incriminating text messages between her and her ex-boss in which he used a racial epithet a number of times, slurs about elected officials, and numerous other embarrassing messages and photos.

In addition to citing inappropriate language by Ciccone, the complaint from the political parties contends he “repeatedly abused the authority of his office, failed to perform core statutory duties and administered the clerk’s office in a manner that undermined fiscal integrity, employee safety and public confidence in the judicial system.”

The complaint contends Ciccone’s conduct included “coercive supervision and loyalty-based personnel decisions (that) exposed Mahoning County to substantial liability, including, but not limited to claims for hostile work environment, discrimination, retaliation, negligent supervision and violations of state and federal employment laws.

The complaint lists counts of malfeasance, misfeasance, nonfeasance, neglect of duty and negligence in office.

The complaint accuses Ciccone of mismanaging the title office, overhiring and overpaying personnel, engaging in favoritism, improperly waiving filing fees, failing to properly supervise employees and “failing to perform essential statutory duties.”

David Skolnick covers politics for the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator.